Chita is "deep" Siberia. It
lies 200km east of Irkutsk and Lake Baikal, on the Trans-Siberian Railway. The city has
many interesting historical buildings and owes much of its importance to the Decemberists,
the 19th century revolutionaries who tried to overthrow the Tsar and were exiled here. The
Decembrists built their own gaol and began to work towards improving their lot by
cultivating the land.
Chita soon became a bustling commercial town , a
distant outpost of Russia. By the time it was connected to other parts of the country via
the Trans- Siberian and Trans-Baikal lines, it had come of age.
Chita's climate is dry, but there is a lot of ground water which makes it quite
green and conducive to agriculture. The city definitely deserves a day’s visit from
Irkutsk.There is a Military Museum and a Regional Museum for visitors. To get here one has
to use the rail or the road. Chita is 6200 km from Moscow and is the last major Russian
city on the Trans-Manchurian Railway. The two hotels in Chita are very comfortable and
elegant, albeit a little faded.
For more country and visitor information,
see Russia.
